Vending machine



April 13,1943. c. CASEY VENDING MACHINE v Filed April 27, 1942 2Sheets-Sheet 1 April 13, 1943. c. 1.. CASEY VENDING MACHINE Filed April'27, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ill Patented Apr. 13, 1943 unirsn STATESPATENT orricr 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in vending machines of the typewherein there is provided a swingingly mounted articl holder orcontainer which co-operates with a fixed ejector,

whereby, when the holder is moved about its p vo in one direction, anarticle will be ejected therefrom and delivered to the operator, and oneof the objects is to provide in a machine of this character, improvedmeans for swinging the :article holder about its pivot.

A further object is to provide a slidable coin controlled actuator whichis disconnected from the container, but which i provided with an arm ormember that is adapted to engage over a projection or formation on thearticle holder,

to positively move the latter in both directionsof its movement, andwhich arm or member has a sliding operative movement.

A further object is to provide in a machine of this character, improvedmeans whereby the ejector itself will cooperate with another portion ofthe mechanism, to maintain the article holder against movement and, atthe same time, lock the coin controlled actuator slide against-operationwhen the article holder is empty.

To the attainment of these ends and the accomplishment of other new anduseful objects as will appear, the invention consists in the features ofnovelty in substantiall the construction, combination and arrangement ofthe several parts. hereinafter more fully described andclaimed and shownin the accompanying drawings illustrating this invention, and in whichFig. 1 is a perspective view of a machine of this character, constructedin accordance with theprinciples of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 22, Fig. l, on anenlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken .on line 3-3, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 44, Fig. 2, alsoshowing some of the parts in dotted position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings. the numeral I designates,generally, a casing which may be of any desired size and configuration,and constructed of any suitable material. The casing is provided with anopen front having a closure H which is pivotally mounted at its base, asat l2, and is provided with a sight opening [3, by means of which thearticles therein may be viewed.

The bottom of the closure ll terminates short of the bottom I4 of thecasing, to provid a delivery or discharge opening having a ledge It atthe bottom of the opening.

Supported in any suitable manner at the front of the casing is aninwardly extending projection IT, to form a delivery chute 'l 8 for thearticle.

Within the casing is arranged an article holder I9 which may beof anyconfiguration and construction; suffice it to say that it is providedwith end walls and members 2!, which latter form the back of the holder.he front of the holder is open, and the bottom .22 preferably terminatesshort of the front of the holder, to provide a delivery opening 23.

The article holder is supported for pivotal or swinging movement withinthe casing It in any suitable manner, preferably by means of pivots 24adjacent the top thereof. A follower 25 is arranged within the holderand rests upon the artides-26.

An ejector 2! is pivotally supported, as at 28, upon any fixed support,preferably the back of the casing, and this ejector may be of desiredsize and configuration, and is so positioned that the forward endthereof will engage and move upon the bottom 22 of the article holder,when the latter is swung about its pivot, into the dotted line positionshown in. Fig. 3, the pivot 28 of the ejector 21 functioning to permitthe ejector to be maintained in a proper position. when the articleholder is being swung about its pivot.

Th article holder is actuated to have the articles ejected therefrom bya coin controlled mechanism, which latter may be of any desired orsuitable construction such, for instance, as shown in Patent 1,908,380May 9, 1933, or 1,908,752 May 16, 1933. Sufiice it to say that the coincontrolled mechanism embodies a slide 29 which projects through theclosure H, and the forward end thereof is shaped to form a handl orfinger engaging portion 30.

This slide 29 moves through a suitable guide 3 l and is provided with acoin receiving opening 32, which latter, when the slide 29 is movedforwardly 'to its fullest extent, will be exposed, as shown more clearlyin Fig. 2, so as to receive a coin.

The slide 29 projects for any suitable distance into the casing II! whenthe closure H is in a closing position, and secured to the slide is anarm or member 33 having an upwardly inclined portion 34, the extremityof which is formed into an open hook comprising the walls 35 and 35.

Secured to one of the walls of the article holder I9 is a pin orprojection 31 which extends into the path of movement of the arm ormember 33,

The hook-shaped portion is so designed that, when the closure H is swungabout its pivot or hinge l2 into the dotted line position shown in Fig.4, the hook-shaped portion of the arm will pass over or out ofengagement with the pin or projection 31. When the closure l l is thenmoved into a closing position, or back to the full-line position shownin Fig. 4, the hook-shaped extremity of the arm 33 will pass over thepin or projection 31, as shown in full lines in Fig. 4.

It will therefore be seen that the closure Il may be swung to an open orclosed position without in any way affecting the movement of the articleholder about its pivot.

The parts in Fig. 4 in full lines are in the position they will assumeafter a coin has been deposited in the receiving opening 32 of the slide29 and the slide pressed inwardly for a short distance.

It will be noted that, during this movement of the slide 29, the portion35 of the arm 33 is in engagement with the pin 31 so that, upon afurther movement of the slide 29 in the same direction, the portion 35of the arm 33 will force the pin 31 backwardly, thereby swinging theholder l9 about its pivot 24 so that the end of the ejector 21, engagingthe lowermost article 26 m the holder, will eject it through the opening23 of the holder and deposit the same in the chute I8, to be deliveredto the operator through the opening l5, as shown in dotted lines in Fig.3.

When the slide 29 is then moved forwardly from the dotted line positionshown in Fig. 4, the portion 36 of the arm 33 will engage the pin 31,and thereby the holder l9 will be swung forwardly from the dotted lineposition shown in Fig. 3, back to the full-line position.

With this improved construction, it will be manifest that the articleholder is not only positively moved in both of its directions ofmovement about its pivot 24, but the closure H may be swung to an openor closed position, and during such movements of the closure, thehookshaped portion of the arm 33 will move over the pin 31.

If desired, although it is not necessary, a spring 38 may be provided toassist in the movement of the article holder in one direction, suchspring being anchored at one end to a fixed support, and connected atits other end to the holder.

A removable coin receiving tray 39 may also be provided, into which thecoins from the opening 32 in the slide 29 will drop when the coinopening 32 is in alinement therewith. It is, of course, to be understoodthat the slide 23 is controlled by any suitable mechanism such as pawls,ratchets or dogs, well known in this art.

When all of the articles 26 have been ejected from the holder 19, thefollower 25 will assume a position to rest upon the bottom 22 of theholder, with the result that the rear wall 40 of the follower will be inalinement with the end of the ejector 21, so as to lock the holder 19and prevent it from being swung about its pivot 24 when the holder isempty of articles.

A suitable locking device 4| may also be provided for locking theclosure I l in a closing position.

While the preferred form of the invention has been herein shown anddescribed, it is to be understood that various changes may be made inthe details of construction and in the combination and arrangement ofthe several parts, within the scope of the claims, without departingfrom the spirit of this invention.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a vending machine, a casing having a discharge outlet for thearticles, an article holderswingingly mounted in the casing, a fixedejector operable when the said holder is moved in one direction aboutits pivot, to eject an article from the holder, a closure for thecasing, an actuator slide, a formation on said holder, and an armcarried by said slide, separate from but engaging over said formation,whereby to positively move the article holder about its pivot in bothdirections of movement of said slide, said slide being mounted upon saidclosure, whereby when said closure is opened the arm will move into aninoperative position with respect to said formation, and into anoperative position with respect thereto when the closure is closed.

2. In a vending machine, a casing having a discharge outlet for thearticles, an article holder swingingly mounted in the casing, a fixedejector operable when the said holder is moved in one direction aboutits pivot, to eject an article from the holder, an actuator slide, aformation on said holder, an arm carried by said slide, separate frombut engaging over said formation, whereby to positively move the articleholder about its pivot in both directions of movement of said slide, anda closure for the casing, said slide and arm being supported by saidclosure, said arm therefore being movable out of and into operativepositions with respect to the said formation when said closure isrespectively opened and closed.

3. In a vending machine, a casing having a discharge outlet for thearticles, an article holder swingingly mounted in the casing, a fixedejector operable when the said holder is moved in one direction aboutits pivot, to eject an article from the holder, an actuator slide, aformation on said holder, an arm carried by said slide, separate frombut engaging over said formation, whereby to positively move the articleholder about its pivot in both direction of movement of said slide, anda closure for the casing, said slide and arm being supported by saidclosure. said arm therefore being movable out of and into operativepositions with respect to the said formation when said closure isrespectively opened and closed, the said arm embodying inclined surfacespositioned on opposite sides of the said formation.

CHARLES L. CASEY.

